Senator Pia Cayetano expressed confidence in the efforts set next year to drill new gas wells that seek to prolong the life of the Malampaya gas project off Palawan province.

During the interpellation of Senate Bill No. 2793 or the proposed Philippine Natural Gas Industry Act on Wednesday, Aug. 28, Cayetano, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy said she has high hopes that the drilling for two new gas wells by Prime Energy will yield positive results and extend the life of the Malampaya Deep Water Gas to Power Project.

Prime Energy is the lead company in Consortium 38 which operates the Malampaya gas field along with other consortium members that include state-owned PNOC-EC.

In the interpellation, Senator Joel Villanueva asked Cayetano about the development timelines of these exploration projects and whether they would help in addressing the country's demands for energy.

"Drilling will start next year, (and this) hopefully will have immediate results. So (by) then we would be able to give more updates on how much can be extracted from those new sources," Cayetano replied.

She said drilling for the new wells already has a target source with confirmed new gas deposits.

"There's already (a) confirmed source, so we already have that, and that will extend the life (of Malampaya)," she added.

Cayetano also pointed out that immediate approval of Senate Bill 2793 will encourage more energy companies to do exploration work for natural gas and energy projects as the proposed law "seeks to create that environment which is open to investors, all kinds, everyone."

Also, Senate Bill 2793, if enacted into law, will ensure that indigenous natural gas will be prioritized over imported and conventional fuels for power generation.

"And then later on, the bill would also create this environment where there will be purchases of the gas," Cayetano said.

She added that Senate Bill 2793 will also help the country attain energy security or reduce, if not eliminate, disruptions in power supply.

"When we support this natural gas bill, this will ensure that we now have a steady supply that comes from our own country, hindi tayo vulnerable sa mga nangyayari sa ibang bansa (we would not be vulnerable to events outside the country)," Cayetano said, referring to international conflicts, like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, that impact the supply and prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Cayetano earlier said that Senate Bill 2793 covers all aspects of the natural gas industry, including, transportation, transmission, and storage, among others.
The bill, if enacted, would help the Philippine natural gas industry comply with international and local best practices, according to Cayetano.

Senate Bill No. 2793, the senator said, would also ease the achievement of targets set by the Philippine Energy Plan 2023-2050 for an “inclusive and sustainable development propelled by modern and clean energy technologies.”

Cayetano said natural gas, as previously declared by the Department of Energy (DOE), will act as a transition or bridge fuel to full green energy that would reduce or eliminate fossil fuels in the Philippine energy mix.